Opposition unites against the bill, says it is an attempt to seize Muslim religious properties and is intended to weaken the community
Mohammad bin Ismail | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — A storm erupted in Parliament after the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf Bill was presented in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), strongly opposed the report, calling it unconstitutional and an attempt to take control of Muslim religious properties.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi sharply criticised the JPC report, stating that the bill is intended to weaken the Muslim community. “This Waqf Bill is being brought to destroy Muslims. It is unconstitutional, and the government’s intention is to keep Muslims away from their places of worship,” Owaisi said. He further alleged that individuals with no connection to the bill were invited for discussions while legitimate voices were ignored. “This bill is a direct attack on mosques, graveyards, and dargahs,” he added.
Congress MP Imran Masood condemned the JPC report, calling it misleading and deceptive. “This report is a pack of lies. The government is bringing laws to seize waqf properties rather than protect them,” he asserted. Masood pointed out that the laws introduced by the UPA government in 2013 were aimed at safeguarding Waqf properties, whereas the Modi government, he claimed, is dismantling them. “If you talk about backward Muslims, 99 percent of them are poor, yet the government is focusing on taking away their assets,” he said.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti accused the BJP of using divisive policies for electoral gains. “First, they removed Article 370, then they fueled the temple-mosque dispute, and now they have introduced the Waqf Bill. The BJP is not interested in governance; they only want votes,” she said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, a member of the JPC, expressed outrage over the handling of the report. “The opposition gave a dissent note and registered a protest, but our objections were completely ignored. The report has been manipulated to serve the government’s interests,” he said. Singh warned that the bill could set a dangerous precedent. “Today, it is the Waqf Board. Tomorrow, they will bring a bill to take over gurudwara lands, then temple lands, and then churches. Eventually, all these properties will be handed over to big capitalists,” he claimed.
Samajwadi Party MP Awdesh Prasad also voiced strong opposition, stating that the bill is a political distraction from pressing national issues. “The government is introducing this bill to divert attention from real problems. The opposition’s suggestions were completely ignored. We have boycotted this bill, and we will not allow it to be passed under any circumstances,” he declared.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, accused the government of stifling dissent. “Several members opposed the JPC report, but their objections were removed. This is against democratic traditions and parliamentary ethics,” he said. Kharge condemned the government’s actions as “anti-democratic” and an attempt to silence opposition voices.
The Waqf Bill has sparked a major controversy, with opposition parties uniting against what they see as an attack on Muslim religious institutions. The government, however, maintains that the bill aims to bring transparency and efficiency to the management of Waqf properties. With tensions rising, the fate of the bill remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the opposition is determined to fight it at every step.
